Take My Hand
by lealila
Summary: When Luke takes Vader's hand, he falls. But not in the way one would expect.
1. Introducing

_Take My Hand_

_when luke takes vaders' hand, he falls. but not in the way one would expect._

"Join me. And together we will rule the universe. We will make the galaxy _right._"

It's tempting. So, so tempting to take that outstretched hand. But what Vader has done—

Unthinkable. And Luke does not want to be Vader. He _will _not be Vader. _But if you join Vader, you won't be him. You can still be you, and create peace. You can still be a Sith. _

Luke stares at Vader's beetle-black eyes. And makes his decision.

"But I will not be you."

The Jedi doesn't move. "As you wish."

* * *

**quick question: i sorta want to expand on this. and, if you please, your thoughts on whether it should be continued. **

**thank you for reading! **


	2. Luke, Vader, and Padme

**_i would love to thank the three people for reviewing/encouraging for me to continue onward. thank you so much! and...this might not make much sense. (this chapter, comparing to last.) but, i think i know what i'm doing, and...it'll all come together in the near future. and i apologise if this just confuses you more, or if you don't really care, so um-_**

Padmè stared. "What is _this?" _

_This _glares. "Luke Organa, if you please." His voice is stiff, cautious.

Padmè freezes. "Organa?"

Vader steps from the shadows. "Padmè, it's not—"

She explodes. "Skywalker! What are you _thinking_? Bringing in the second-in-command Sith Lord! Are you _trying_ to let them win? Do want him to report back to his sister, and tell her _everything_ so she can blow us to bits? So she can know how to strike?" The two boys shrink back.

After minutes without any explanation, Padmè Naberrie rolls her eyes. "What, no comeback? No… 'reasonable' explanation as to why he's here?"

The boys exchange glances. "I want to help," Luke says. "My sister—I don't agree with what she's doing. I've never agreed with the dark, and…." He trails off. Luke can't really describe exactly why he joined. But—"I want to make the galaxy right."

Her eyes soften. "Don't we all, kid?"


	3. And Everyone Else

_**apologies for the wait. ff was being annoying. **_

Leia glares at the comm-hubb. "Luke, answer, goddamit." Waiting for some response, she pivots, and steps out of the communications room. "What did I tell you? Not to face Vader. And what do you do? Face him. Stupid, stupid boy." Muttering more obscenities under her breath, she stands next to the Admiral. "Report."

Torn from his previous gaze of the fire and sparks, and offers a slight bow. "Madam. Rebel shields are down, with six of their seventeen fighters down. Our own shields are sixty-seven percent down, with only four fighters lost." _pause _"Any word from the General?"

"None, Kenobi."

A sharp nod, and he turns his attention back to fire. Minutes pass, until a lieutenant rushes onto the bridge. "Lady Organa! Ma'am, the smugglers are in the hanger, with the mission complete. But, General Organa isn't with them. They wish to talk with you personally."

Leia silently snarls, but keeps her voice neutral. "Show them to my quarters. I'll be there shortly."

The lieutenant nods, and rushes off. Leia watches the girl go, and turns back to Admiral Kenobi once she's out of sight. "Retreat. We have what's needed."

Kenobi frowns. "And leave Bespin?"

"There are no necessary resources."

"And General Organa?"

A quick scan with the Force. "He's fine. He'll know where to go."

"Of course, Ma'am."

* * *

Han Solo pretends that he's not nervous. As does his other companions, he notices. Chewie, Siri, Lando, and Sola, all. But they have a good reason too. Because they're in _Organas' private chambers! _And that—well, none of them thought they ever would be. Han frowns. They're _smugglers_, not stormtroopers: they shouldn't be in here. And not to mention, the General just _had_ to run off. Claiming something about Skywalker and meeting and whatever, leaving his group to hope they got the right thing.

Siri nudges him, and Chewbacca grumbles. Han looks up. Leia Organa is standing in the doorway, arms crossed, and glaring. "Do you have the datapad?"

Han holds it up. "Right here." When Organas' arm raises, he throws it.

Glancing through it, she asks "where is my brother?"

"He ran off," Lando answers.

"Organa said something about feeling Vader Skywalker near, and needing to confront him. Organa gave us instructions to continue with our mission." Siri glares at Lando, briefly.

Organa nods, and minutes pass by. Han's tempted to speak, but Sola cuts him off with a quick look.

Finally, Organa looks up. "How many people spotted you?"

An odd question. "Not many," Han says. Shrugs. "Under seventeen, probably."

She nods. The five exchange glances. "Do this for me. And I'll get your names off the Wanted List. Plus what I previously promised."

A moment. Another. "And if we don't agree to whatever…?"

"Then just the 200,000 credits owed."

Chewie rumbles, and Sola translates.

"What is it that you need?"

Organa tosses back the datapad. Siri catches it with ease.

"Find her. Bring her back alive—unharmed. She may be guarded. Heavily."

"With what?"

She shrugs. "Jedi."

And here, they frown. "Look, we ain't Jedi. Or Sith. We don't have—mystical powers. How are we supposed to—"

"I'll give you someone with 'mystical powers', then. And he won't run off."

Han glances back. Everyone nods. "We'll do it."

"Then I suggest you look at who you're retrieving."

Han does. It's a child. With dark hair and bright eyes.

"Her name is Greti."


	4. So Now,

Padmé unsoftens her eyes. "So what are we going to do with you?"

"I want to be trusted. I want to help. I don't—" and here, he frowns—"I don't want to force anything. I may be labeled as a Sith. But I'm not a real one. I'll do anything to prove it. Truly."

Vader glances at Padmé. She stares back. "You felt it." He nods. She sighs.

"If we bring you to the Admiral—talk it over with him—then you, Luke, may have a chance. About what to do; if you can prove yourself. And the meeting will be private." She directs her next words at Vader. "Have him meet you in your quarters. It's private, and easy to talk there."

A nod. "Very well. When should we meet?"

"After the battle. And the losses are counted. Right now, just get into your quarters. Stash the boy." A slight smirk. "And take that suit off. It's hot in here."

* * *

The dark-skinned man—Lando—looks up. "But she's just a girl! What do you want with her?"

The rest of the smugglers look up, all surrounded around the datapad. Leia glares. "That is unnecessary information."

Five slow nods, and three look down. The blonde headed, and the brown headed man hesitate before complying.

"So when do we get our Force user?"

* * *

Sometimes, she likes to believe that she'll got out of here one day. And really _see_ the galaxy. But her Jedi protector (who insists on calling him _father_, or _dad_, but she never does) smashes the belief.

("It's safe here on Tattoine. The bad people won't find you."

"What if we going looking for the _good_ people. Then I'll _really_ be safe."

Qui-Gon Jinn always shakes his head. "No. You won't. Trust me.")

Greti will sneak out one day. Real soon. She knows how to fly, and has enough money stored. She's eleven years old. And lives on Tattoine. She knows how to take care of herself.


	5. Let Us Get to Work

Siri hisses what everyone is thinking: "What is _he_ doing here."

Han glowers. "Apparently, he's s'pposed to fight the Jedi." He gives Kenobi the run-down while the rest of the band preps for takeoff, and five minutes later, they're off.

_**xxx**_

Thirty-six hours later, the _Falcon_ lands in the outskirts of Mos Eisley. They convene in the main hold and discuss what to do.

"But first we need to find the girl," Lando says.

Sola gestures at the datapad. "Maybe it says in there."

"It should," Kenobi replies. "It got us this far, did it not?"

Sola consults the device. "It only says that Greti is residing on Tattoine."

Siri frowns. Now what?

Han turns his gaze to Kenobi. "I once heard that Force users can feel people. Can't you search for her?"

"I could. But it would be a risk. The Jedi protecting her—or even the girl herself—would feel the deliberateness of the search. Which then runs the risk of them fleeing off-planet. Of course, we could then call Imperial ships, surround the Jedi…" He shakes his head. "But this is supposed to be a secret mission."

Siri translates Chewie's rumble. "Isn't there something you can do with your Force?"

Kenobi frowns, thinking. "Well, I could lock onto the brightest presence, follow it without detection. It wouldn't be strong enough to be felt, and easy to follow." A shrug. "Anyone want to go to for a walk?"

* * *

Greti hears soft patters and looks up from her work. A Wookie and three humans—a girl and two boys—walk in. And Greti gets the oddest of feelings.

One of the boys—the red-headed one—steps forward. "Is your name Greti?"

"Yes. Who are you?"


	6. A Matter of Betrayal

_**hey, look! an update! but on the not-brightside, i hate to say, this thing is going to be put on the back of my mind. the plot is running dry, and i don't really know where to go next, and i'm not quite sure how to execute what i **_**do_ want to do_**_**. but i am NOT ABANDONING this! i swear. **_

"You expect me to believe him?"

"Padmé, Vader, and Admiral Ti stand outside Vader's quarters. Shaak Ti is here in the place of Admiral Ackbar due to the latter being bogged down with the council.

Vader crosses his arms. "Well, yes."

Shaak Ti sighs. They really don't need this right now. The Council is in the process of contacting Master Jinn to warn him that the Sith have learned his and Greti's whereabouts. She should be with the navigators to plot a path to lose Lady Organa's tail and to find a new base. But these two just had to through another problem in their faces.

"I hear his story and sense no deception in him. But I do not trust Organa enough to let him wander the ship and eventually, the base. Besides, he should be sitting on the detention level in a cell. Not sitting in your room." Shaak Ti gets a glint in her eyes. "I would like to think you and Captain Nabberie will understand when the rest of the alliance agrees."

Vader is a flurry of movement, pacing the small corridor. "I don't expect you to _trust_ Luke. I expect you to give him a chance."

"It's not just me you have to convince, Commander. It's everyone involved in this alliance."

The boy doesn't answer. His face is drawn, no doubt lost in thought. He's thinking of a plan: Vader always has that face when thinking of a last-ditch plan.

Sighing again, Shaak faces Padmé. "Where do you stand in this, Captain?"

Padmé tilts her head to the side. "I—think…Luke…should be given a chance. I believe him. Both of them."

She opens her mouth to speak, but Vader beats her. "I have an idea." When both women nod for him to continue, he does. "What if Luke—publicly—announces how he's been betrayed? And he—he came to me for help and I gave it to him." It would make sense, Shaak supposes. A similar situation happened a few years ago, and she has proven herself and gained the trust of the alliance. "Luke can give his word and ask for fealty." Vader gets a glint in his eyes. "The people can vote, like last time."

Shaak Ti crosses her arms. "And if they don't vote in his favor? This isn't just another criminal you're dealing with, Commander."

Vader gives an odd laugh. "And if they don't, well." A glance at the door. "Let's see what Luke thinks, first. Then we'll worry about the 'don't'."

* * *

Leia is not worried. Luke feels fine through their bond. But he's not answering her prods, his shields are the highest they've ever been, and he's not on _any_ Imperial World. The smugglers had mentioned that Luke ran off to face Vader—but he didn't—he wouldn't. Not Luke. Not her brother—...

The halls of the Jedi Temple echo of the light side and her footsteps. She knows that, in another world, in another universe, she would have been trained and raised as a Jedi. Leia comes here to think, though, not to train in the ancient salles. Only when the tours are closed, though. She doesn't wish to be disturbed. It's why Leia isn't at the Palace and walking through Coruscant. She could go flying, she supposes. But Leia is waiting to hear from the smugglers. It's been two days, so they should be at Tattoine by now. And the girl should not be hard to find: it's _Tattoine_, not _Alderaan._

The girl—Greti—will be the first of many of a Force-sensitive assassins to carry out the will of the Empire. After five years of establishing her reign, of crushing hundreds of small rebellions _(except, of course, the Alliance of Systems. but they're losing battle after battle after battle. it won't be long now)_, it's time to finally start what she's planned all along. And soon, no one will stand in her way again.

_(in the back of her mind, the not-worry grows, and leia wonders if luke actually _had_.)_


End file.
